Director Brad Bird sat down with Steven Weintraub of Collider for a panel in Hall H at San Diego Comic Con ahead of the release of his new Netflix animated film, “Ray Gunn”. Before getting to his upcoming feature however, the pair took a tour of Bird’s cinematic journey. This stretched all the way back to his 1987 show, “Family Dog,” and his time working on “The Simpsons.”

The conversation then moved to his jump to features, the first of which was box office disappointment “The Iron Giant.” Bird talked frankly about his disappointment at the initial reception to the film. According to him the, failure came from a lack of marketing. However, he seemed genuinely appreciative of the second life the movie has had. He was even complimentary of the executives behind the film. He went on to say that they understood and respected his pitch for a film. That of course being “a gun with a soul that dosen’t want to be a gun.”

Bird Talks “The Incredibles”

After being impressed by their early efforts Bird joined Pixar, directing “The Incredibles.” He shared a number of tidbits about the production of the film. This included the fact that Syndrome originated in a cut version of the film’s opening. He’d go on to say that the villain was partially inspired by a seemingly resentful Burt Ward. Famously, prior Pixar films hand’t featured humans in prominent roles. Instead they used characters that were less likely to fall into the uncanny valley, such as bugs or toys. Bird cited the short “Geri’s Game” as giving him the confidence that Pixar’s animation was finally up to the task of focusing on people.

His next film, “Ratatouille,” was one he wasn’t initially meant to direct. Weintraub asked about rumors that he had been brought on the the troubled production after giving good notes on the unfinished film. Bird confirmed the story, or at least stated that he’d given notes in line with ones that Pixar higher ups, including Steve Jobs, had given. That, in large part, landed him the gig. Then, via a pre-recorded video, that film’s star, Patton Oswald, asked Bird if he had any interest in venturing into TV.

A Possible Mini-Serise

This lead to him giving a somewhat surprising answer. Bird brought up his a project he has flirted with, detailing the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. He quashed rumors that a past version of that idea had been killed because of budget concerns. According to him, it never even got that far. Bird likened working on it to lifting off in a hot air ballon. Getting it off the ground would require jettisoning much of what he loved. However as a miniseries, theoretically lasting eight episodes, he’d have much more freedom to include the full scope of the idea.

Following this discussion Bird talked about his foray into live action, jumping into the “Mission Impossible” franchise. He helmed the action heavy fourth entry, “Ghost Protocol.” He cited the fact that going from traditional 2D animation to 3D was a perfect stepping stone for understanding how to shoot live action. 

“Ray Gun” Sneak Peek

The last part of the panel focused on “Ray Gunn,” another long gestating idea. The director said he had been waiting thirty years to make the film, which he described as “Buck Rodgers” meets “The Maltese Falcon.” A retro futuristic detective story with flying cars and aliens, the movie had shades of “The Incredibles” and “Monsters Inc.” However, it certainly contained a bit more of an edge than Pixar’s usual fare, visible in the first seven minutes of the film, which were shown at the panel. The zany detective sci-fi flick with Sam Rockwell looks to be a lot of fun.

The second video question of the day came from Ray Gunn’s composer, and director in his own right, Michael Giacchino. He asked about which film had inspired Bird to create movies, and the status of the upcoming “Incredibles 3.” Then Giacchino surprised the audience by making an in person appearance, finishing the panel in person alongside Bird and Weintraub. Bird answered the first part of Giacchino’s question by describing seeing “The Jungle Book” at a young age. When discussing “Incredibles 3,” Bird reiterated that, although he was not directing this time around, he still would serve as a writer and producer. Giacchino however is returning once more as composer, continuing his work from the prior two films.

The panel wrapped up with a question for the pair about their next directorial projects. Giacchino confirmed he was very close to moving forward with his next project, but couldn’t say more. Bird also spoke on a possible upcoming film. While he couldn’t give details he confirmed that the movie would be live action but feature animation. Finally, he gave the audience a treat, with a quick line as his most famous voice role, Edna Mode.